Comments: 1-15, 16
Had to replace passenger side wheel bearing @ 7k miles, nail in side wall of passenger tire which was replaced (not covered under warranty)
I researched on this vehicle for about a year before purchasing it; I read reviews, talked to people who owned it etc.
Overall, I am somewhat happy with the vehicle. The only complaints I have are that I had to replace a part at only 7k miles which I was told was a "glitch in the manufacturing," I also do not like the fact that the vehicle seems to be a bit shaky at high speeds (steering wheel feels loose) and that Ford did not incorporate any "extras" such as daytime running lights, and temperature display like the Chevy Blazer. I previously owned a Chrysler Sundance which I drove to 100k miles and had little problems with. I think the Escape is a nice little SUV for the price, but still needs some adjustments.
I also have a 2002 Ford Escape and have had to replace both front wheel bearings twice. The first time was at 10000 miles and the second at 26000 miles. I also had to put 4 new tires on at 26000 miles because of excessive wear on them.
I just replaced a passenger side wheel bearing as well in my 2001 escape. I also had problems with the cables in the shifting mechanism and transmission. it's a nice car... but has a few adjustments needed.
I would like to know what the person with the previous comment about the shifting mechanism cables and transmission problems did to fix these problems. I've had my 2001 XLS in the shop a few times for the same problem in the last year and they haven't been able to "duplicate" the problem. I bought it used at 37K (just out of warranty) and found out when I started having problems with it feeling like it was going to just cut off for no reason, that whoever leased it didn't get the 30K trans flush and anything else that would be considered normal upkeep. I bought an extended warranty, but so far, it hasn't covered anything! The guy at the Ford place I think feels sorry for me because I've inherited such a problem. He has had Ford pay for 80% of everything I've had done to the truck, because a 2001 shouldn't have these kind of problems this early. I've put the gear into reverse, hit the gas and it slipped into neutral. Also, I've put it into gear, but the square that lights up around the letter (P, R, N D, etc) didn't light up, so you couldn't tell what gear you were in. Also, when I did have a guy at the Ford place test drive it with me, he said it didn't upshift when it should have. I also notice it doesn't "catch up" with itself or kinda trips over itself (does that make sense?) sometimes when I hit the gas. Or if I'm driving around 35-45 sometimes it will seen as if it just loses power. I've 2 recalls fixed on it, something with the seatbelt and then the last one being a little more serious calibration problem, now the tie rod ends need to be replaced. Any ideas or advice? HELP!!
I own a Ford Escape XLT Sport, 4x4 with tow. I have had it since 2002 (2yrs). I must admit, I am still overdue for the "51,000" maintenance schedule. The reason been that, first, my warranty expired. Secondly, I could not afford the maintenance out of pocket ($2,200.00). I did not know what was to be done during maintenance, but after an estimate (which cost me $89.00) ; a lot of things were listed as needed to be fixed that I knew I could not afford it done at that time. One was my radio/cd which shutdown right when the maintenance schedule mileage was up. Another thing was the side view mirrors and not to mention the key-less entry also won't work. After few weeks I received couple of recall letters from Ford. As I scheduled service with a dealer close to me, I was told that the recall cannot be determined until the vehicle was thoroughly checked including the service maintenance that was due. Again, I could not afford it so I walked away. Now the vehicle shutdowns on its own during driving and sometimes won't start. It cranks and won't start. I am living with this problem now until I can find a reasonable dealer whom I can work with and relate the recall notices to be fixed free of charge (Ford also confirmed that there should not be a charge for the recall issues, which by the way is related to the vehicle shutdowns). Driving a vehicle that is only 2yrs old and still paying for it, and not enjoying the safety and luxury is really sad. I will not recommend FORD to any of my family members nor friends. It is a shame we cannot take care of our own product in this country and must rely on foreign product to run this economy.
My wife and I own a 2002 XLS Escape with only 46,000 KM's on it. We were going on vacation from British Columbia to Alberta, when all of a sudden the engine quit with no warning what so ever. We had it towed back to a Ford dealership because the Escape was still under warranty and before I could finish telling the service people what happened the service people told me that we need a new engine and, that we were the 5 Escape in 2 weeks that needs a new engine. The cause of the of the problem was due to several things. 1) the dip stick is not marked properly so when you think the oil level is full, well it is not. you have to add and extra bottle of oil. 2) the oil pump is in the wrong spot so when you go up any hills for a period of time all the oil runs to the back of the pan where the pump cannot reach it, therefore the engine is not getting oil. 3) The red line on the Tac is also in the wrong spot so you with standard Escapes you may be over revving your engine and us with automatic don't really have much choice.
So any way we got our new engine 2 and a half weeks later and found out that the warranty on the "new engine" is for 3000 km's or 3 months which ever comes first. Now that is a Joke. We also found out that Ford gave us the exact same type of engine that that blew at 46 k's. We asked the service manager to find out all she could for us regarding the Escapes.
To start off she said get rid of it, then she started to say why. It seems that 2002 models between 35 and 50 thousand kilometers on them are all doing the same as ours did (blown engine). Whats not to say the 2003-2005 will do the same thing when the reach the same millage. As far as I know Ford hasn't really changed the engine much, if at all.
OK ya we got a new engine, but I am willing to bet as soon as we get to 40 thousand K's on the new engine we will have the same problem as the last, but with NO warranty because Ford of Canada a obviously doesn't stand behind their product or give a crap about the consumer.
I could go on and on about our little adventure with Ford, but I don't have the time right now so if you would like to email me, you can do so at chrispearson@shaw.ca. Happy driving and take care.
Chris Pearson.
I have a 2002XLT Escape. At 50,000 miles I had a dealer recommended transmission flush done. It was displaying a slight shudder when shifting. The problem went away for a while, but at 70,000 it started to creep back and is worse. The dealer said at 75,000 after doing the shift point re-calibration and another flush that it was an internal problem and that the transmission would need to be replaced. $2900.00, ouch. Even though the car has been good otherwise I don't think that I should have to pay for it. Are we just buying disposable cars these days. I can't afford to upgrade every 3 years. Am I wrong? Should this have happened?
If we are buying a North American car then yes we are buying disposable cars. The parts for the vehicles and repairs is where the manufactures make all their money. If you buy a new car and strip it down and sell it for parts you will make money on the vehicle. Go figure.
That is why we got rid of your Ford Escape, it was just a piece of junk and Ford would not back their product. So we took a 4 grand loss and bought a 2004 Kia sorento and love it. The warranty is one of the best if not the best and all round it is a better vehicle than the Escape.
I own a 2002 Ford Escape and Its just hitting 30,000 miles, I, ve had only minor problems thus far with the periodic "recalls" that have made Ford company famous thru the years. One week after buying the car it died with absolutely no warning, complete power loss. Luckily it started up again, but that was a sign. After reading these posts I truly feel the urge to get rid of this car soon before deep regret overwhelms me. Good luck, Honda.. Here I come!!
Wow, I wish I would have found this site before I bought my 2002 ford exscape. Mine have 47000 miles and I'm having some sort of computer glitch, and my alarm will not set, nor will the passanger side door open. The ford dealer will not even look at the vehicle without me paying them $80 first, regardless if it can be fixed or not. A total rip off. I'm upset about this, now I have to pay for an expensive part hoping it will fix the problem.
I, too, have a 2002 escape. I am more fortunate than some of you in that it has run until 62,000 miles before it's problem. It started with the radio quitting -- just stopped working. A couple months later the power mirrors failed. Then a couple weeks ago, the radio started working again, but would flash on and off with the right turn signal! In the mean time, the steering column began to squeak when turning at low speed. Then, suddenly, the car just died. I had gone out in the morning to get a newspaper and it worked. My wife went out 3 hours later and nothing. We tried to jump it and the jumper cables glowed bright orange -- a short, right? We took it to a shop and they replaced something in the front end to fix the squeak and replaced the battery. They could find no short. They said to take it to the dealer. I was going to do that today except it is dead again! Before it died, here were its problems: No radio, no courtesy light, no power locks, no rear wiper, no power mirrors, and only half the dashboard lights.
It is now being towed to the dealer who will charge us $75 just to look at it and will probably charge between 500-1200 dollars to fix it. WE ARE STILL PAYING FOR THIS VEHICLE! I just bought another car for my wife and traded in a '95 honda civic with 225,000 miles and no problems. I wish I would have traded this in instead!
I contacted the Ford Company several times to complain about the emissions warranty. My son put a K & N air filter in to aid with gas mileage and the Ford company claims, the add-on part caused the catalytic converters (all three) to blow and melted the DPFE. They only were responsible to pay 20% of the repair, we paid 50% and KNN paid 30% of the costs. We contacted the Attorney General of Washington, because we felt the 'air filter' could not have caused such extensive damage. How disappointing.
I too own a 2002 Ford Escape.
At twenty thousand it needed new tires and a front end alignment.
At twenty five thousand, bad valve guides and new brakes. There was also glitch in the computer, which makes a loud beeping sound. The airbag light is on. The dealer fixed it for big bucks, but my airbag might not go off.
All was good for two months, but now my hatchback won't open and there's some sort of whining sound. I'm going back to the dealer for big bucks that don't last in and out of the shop.
I try to be a good American and go American made, but never again. Ford, you need to take some lessons from Toyota. I'm very disappointed; I only wish I could sell it for half of what I paid for it.
I have a 2002 Ford Escape. Engine blew at 10,000 miles, transmission blew at 60,000 miles, air bag light comes on intermittently, had to replace stereo/radio system, now wheel is squeaking. Maintenance costs have been horrendous at dealership. Rattle in trunk has been fixed three times. Windows rattle when partially open... on and on... never again...
This is my second ford SUV, the first was a 1992 ford explorer I drove until it hit 200,000 miles and needed a new tranny so I bought the 2002 escape. All I can say is that with ford you should never deal with a dealership. I have a mechanic whom I trust and actually fixes the problems. I find most of the major problems that a dealer talks about are actually smaller repairs that should cost 25% of what they quote. My recommendation is to find a good mechanic and stick with them, never deal with those dealerships unless you are in warranty.
My 2005 Ford Escape had 68000 miles on it. We got the oil changed every 3000 miles and had just got the oil changed 700 miles ago when the engine blew a rod right through the bottom of the block. No warning no nothing.. it just blew. With no extended warranty Ford will not do anything to replace the motor or at least help with this matter. I will never buy another Ford and would strongly suggest to anyone that they steer clear of Ford vehicles. I have really taken care of this vehicle and now its costing me dearly.
Janice Jenkins
Elyria, Ohio.